


Stag in the Alleyway

by whYJayteesee



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 05:01:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9532589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whYJayteesee/pseuds/whYJayteesee
Summary: What if it had been James, and not Sirius who lived? - An AU of the night of Voldemort's attack on 31st October 1981.





	

It was Halloween.

At the windowsills of some muggle houses down the street, carved turnip and plump little pumpkin lanterns glowed with flickering candlelight. The vague outlines of skeletons and cut-out bats and spiders decorating gardens could be seen by the light from street lamps. And if he had had the mind to peer into these homes, James Potter might have found children in their hilariously inaccurate costumes, gathered round fake fireplaces for stories, or families sprawled across their couch, watching the telly.

Standing in the shadow of an old tree, its branches creaking in the damp and chilly autumn wind - no sign of lurking dark wizards at all - James was finding that he regretted many things.

Not the least of which was that row he'd had with Lily before he left the house.

Nothing serious had happened. Just, Harry was a curious child and James, sometimes a little careless with his wand. No one had been hurt except the cat. But after a year in hiding, doing nothing for the war even as their friends disappeared or died one by one, only able to listen as news of Death Eater activities trickled in over the radio - it was understandable for the both of them to be a little stir-crazy. So with tempers running high, a few sparks sent from the end of his wand by little Harry were enough to cause a full blown-out argument. This little outburst today had been brewing for months.

And if this was a realization James could come to on his own, his brilliant Lily-flower should have calmed down by now, especially with Sirius' presence in Godric's Hollow. (Though his best friend was sometimes terrible about taking jokes too far, James could count on him to be equally as terrified of Lily in a foul mood, and consequently do his best in helping to appease her.)

When Sirius had turned up at their door almost half an hour ago, midway through their fight, to say that both Lily and James had been shocked would have been an understatement. With Peter as the Secret Keeper and the agreement between the four of them that there would be no other, there could be no reason for Sirius to be there…except one.

But thankfully, the worst had not come to pass. It was only Peter being overly timid, worrying too much as usual.

*******

There had been rumours of suspicious magical activity one village over from Godric's Hallow; the latest in a string of incidents that seemed to be sweeping systematically through magical Britain. Their Wormtail had gone running straight to Sirius from his safe-house, all pallid and sweaty-handed, both to warn him and to reveal the Secret.

Sirius Black of course had been willing to be the decoy for Peter, had suggested it himself in fact. However, once he could remember their location again, after a day, he could not resist dropping by for a visit. And hey, Lily and James needed to be told about this development, didn't they? Besides, little Harry had to be missing his dogfather after such a long period of separation.

He had not expected to walk in in the middle of a row, nor had he expected James to leave immediately to investigate those rumours. But well, that was life wasn't it? Always so full of surprises.

Now that he had seen for himself that there were neither spies nor Death Eater raids (not that James had really expected to find any, he just needed some time to cool down…it did help, though now he just felt silly), he was really quite regretting his rashness. It should be fine, he tried to reassure himself. Lily would pull some nasty prank that he wouldn't be allowed to retaliate against, and Sirius might take the mickey. But they'd be alright again.

With a sheepish grin no one could see, the wizard spun on the spot, disapparating with a swish of robes and a pop barely louder than the whispering wind in the trees.

*******

The moment he stood, once again, upon the front path leading up to his house, the smile fell from his lips, and James found he had forgotten how to breathe. For a few seconds, he could not move and did not want to. Then a blackened tile beneath his boot crumbled as he took a faltering step backward.

 

There was no Dark Mark to be seen above the damaged roof.

 

He charged in with wand held steady before him. Orbs of light conjured non-verbally lit his passage.

The battle within had clearly ended not long ago. Charred furniture strewn about, far out of place, overturned - the clear mark of banishment or summoning, were still warm to the touch. Spell damage across the walls and the floors was testament to the ferocity and desperation of the defender. All this, James took in as he hurried towards the steps leading to the second floor.

At the base of the stairs, Sirius laid quiet and still as he never had been in life. But James could not stop. He did not have time to even process what he was seeing, because from above came a sound rarely heard in this house. Rare, but familiar nonetheless: the wailing of a child.

James apparated directly into the bedroom, casting a series of stunners at the figure looming over Harry in his crib. The spells were laboriously batted aside, and suddenly he was face-to-face with a trembling Peter Pettigrew. The small, plump man had a long bone-white wand clutched in his hand. Dimly, James noted that it wasn't his own. He did not care.

Lily Evans laid at Peter's feet, half slumped against the crib. Her long, dark red curls tumbled messily down her shoulders, her wide eyes flashing with the reflection of James's spells as they lit the room, her mouth still open in a soundless scream.

Harry's wails faded to quiet sobbing; James took a step forward towards him, towards Lily but also towards Pettigrew.

The other man began the tell-tale twirl for disapparation almost a millisecond after, but James moved faster still and lunged across the room, managing to catch the tail end of Pettigrew's robes.

They disappeared from sight with a load crack.

 

Harry Potter was left behind, warm in his charmed crib but still frightened and aching with remembered pain. His mother's soft hair pressed against the bars were a comfort, though she would not turn around no matter how much he patted her.

Exhausted now and not knowing what else to do, he curled up under his blankets and slowly, drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This came about because I saw this picture of a stag on a dark street at night, and was reminded of that scene in which Harry got his first sight of Sirius in that alleyway. Now, I know that there are many many many reasons why it would be much less likely for James to be sent off to Azkaban on suspicion of being a DE, but the point is that then I started thinking of James and Sirius switching places, and this little thing is the result.
> 
> Logic, characterization and such are quite off the mark, I realise (but I just really needed to get this out of my head).


End file.
